The VII Pomeranian Voivodeship Firefighters Championships of the State Fire Service are behind us.
48 teams competed in the run to the top of Olivia Star – the tallest building in northern Poland.
The participants had to climb 885 stairs, and the fastest took only 6 minutes!
This year’s edition was also attended by women for the first time.
Olivia Star’s staircases have once again become an arena for competition between two-person firefighting teams from all over Poland, which in this way train their skills in providing assistance in the event of dangers in high-rise buildings.
The firefighters compete to climb the 34 floors of Olivia Star in full gear, which also allows them to train their iron condition, which is often needed to operate effectively in difficult conditions.
Competing with other teams, they have to climb to a height of 140 meters above the ground with equipment weighing up to 20 kg and consisting of personal protective equipment, fire hoses and nozzles.
Covering this distance is therefore quite an effort for even a well-trained body.
For the first time in the history of the championships, women also took part in the competition.
Katarzyna Jakubek and Jolanta Chibowska from the State Fire Service Aspirants’ School in Krakow competed for the victory: The impact of such an initiative is certainly enormous, this kind of effort shows us what boundaries we can cross, which are mainly in our heads – says Katarzyna Jakubek .
Gdy przezwyciężymy kryzys mówiący nam „odpuść” możemy później zdziałać naprawdę wiele, pokazując w tym siłę i przede wszystkim odwagę, której nie może nam brakować podczas takich działań.
Są to może proste rzeczy, lecz strażak zawsze musi zachować zimną krew, spokój oraz opanowanie i podczas takich wydarzeń możemy sprawdzić nasze możliwości i wytrenować zawziętość oraz siłę wojownika.
Jolanta Chibowska also confirms that this type of competition allows you to toughen up your character and better prepare for action in real rescue operations: When dealing with real threats, we are often exposed to intense physical exertion and operating in breathing apparatus.
I think this is a very good initiative, because it toughens up the character, allows you to break your own barriers and allows you to test the limit of your body’s endurance.
While climbing the floors, there is sometimes a battle with your own mind and internal motivational dialogues.
Such training shows us that all weaknesses can be overcome and we must not give up.
I rate the run really high, because of the atmosphere before the start – emphasizes Katarzyna Jakubek. Everyone calmly explained how the run was going, the construction of the staircase on which we were to move was presented, there was time to dress appropriately for the start, which turned into zero stress, and this is always the most important thing before the start, to be “relaxed”. Was it difficult? Of course it is. There was a crisis moment when I was already telling myself to let go, but this doggedness and awareness that this is just a small crisis that almost every player experiences is only in our heads. In such moments, I recommend thinking about our loved ones who could just need help at the very top of the building, the motivation is huge, because no one wants anyone from our loved ones to suffer. I had the pleasure to compete in Olivia for the first time and of course not the last one next year I am coming to improve this year’s result, but I have already competed in this type of events m.in in cities such as Warsaw, Wrocław, Krakow, Berlin and Braga in Portugal. I encourage everyone to test their abilities and limits in such competitions. This year’s second debutant sums up her participation in a similar way: I liked the run very much, although on the 20th floor it came to my mind: what did I agree to! – says Jolanta Chibowska.
When I finally got to the top, a thought came to my mind: it was worth it!
I want to do it again!
It was hard, but the satisfaction at the top repaid the pain and struggle that was during the run.
It was the first time I had beaten Olivia Star.
Earlier, I took part in a run up the stairs at the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw.
Next year I would love to take part in this race with the intention of improving my result.
The winners of the 7th edition of the Championships were the team of the Municipal Headquarters of the State Fire Service in Toruń, covering this distance in just 6 minutes and 14 seconds.
The second place was taken by the team from the Municipal Police in Gdynia with a result of 6 and 21 seconds.
The third place went to firefighters from the Wejherowo County Headquarters with a time of 6 minutes and 25 seconds.
The best two firefighter pairs will represent Pomerania in the national competition, which will take place on September 14 at the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw.
As emphasized by Brig.
Mirosław Cyrson from the Provincial Headquarters of the State Fire Service in Gdańsk, the competition in Olivia Star is an important element of verification of the teams’ preparation for service in the increasingly demanding working conditions of firefighters: The scale of challenges and the scope of firefighters’ responsibilities are increasing year by year, and the number of incidents and interventions is growing.
The training allows firefighters to be prepared for a wide variety of tasks, so the championships that take place in Olivia are important for our firefighting community, as they help to maintain physical fitness, which is an indispensable element in our activities.
The training makes it easier for firefighters to be effective in carrying out rescue and firefighting operations.
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Olivia Centre in Gdańsk is the largest and most modern business centre in the Tri-City agglomeration and in Poland. Its area is currently 175 thousand. m.kw, and ultimately it will significantly exceed 200 thousand. m.kw. Olivia’s largest residents are Amazon, Bayer, Capgemini, Deloitte, Energa, EPAM, Fujifilm, Lyreco, Medicover, Nike, Nordea, PwC, Ricoh, Sii, thyssenkrupp.
Olivia Business Centre has undergone the most restrictive analysis conducted by experts from the International Well Building Institute (IWBI) in New York. The safety of building users was checked, as well as solutions improving the quality of life in the business centre. Olivia received the maximum score of 25 out of 25 points for all its properties. It achieved this result in 22 basic categories and in 3 new ones related to the innovations implemented in its area.
At the same time, Olivia Centre is much more than buildings. Over 1500 business, educational, cultural and sports events take place here every year. A unique combination of services and amenities for residents, their employees and guests has been created on its premises, which consists of eight restaurants, 4 cafes, a professional two-storey fitness centre, a kindergarten for 100 children, a primary school, a high school, an IT academy, a medical centre, a dental centre, a pharmacy, 5 banks and 5 conference centres, O4 – one of the largest coworking spaces in Poland, but at the same time a vast patio filled with vegetation, fountains and places of relaxation. In the central point of Olivia there is a vast (almost 1000 m2), year-round Olivia Garden, filled with 4 thousand zlotys of gardens.
of plants, reaching up to 11 meters in height.
Olivia Garden is a regenerative space for residents – it reduces emotional and psychophysiological stress, rebuilds depleted attention resources, has a positive impact on the ability to take up everyday challenges related to professional work and also fosters good social relations, creating a space for meetings.
This space is generally available to the residents of the Tri-City and tourists.
In July 2019, on the 32nd, 33rd and 34th floor of Olivia Star, the highest building in northern Polish, a project was launched, constituting a unique, additional offer attracting guests from all over the world to Olivia. On On the 32nd floor, a public viewing level has been opened, allowing a 360° view. for the whole Tri-City. It offers not only a stunning panorama of the Bay of Gdańsk, the Tri-City Landscape Park and the Gdynia cliff coast, but also originally designed interiors, catering and recreational facilities. On On the 33rd floor of the building, there are two prestigious restaurants: Arco and Treinta y Tres, run by Paco Pérez, one of the most successful chefs in the world, winner of the 5***** prestigious Michelin culinary guide. In this year’s edition of the guide, the Arco by Paco Perez restaurant was honored with the first star in Pomerania, and the Treinta y Tres restaurant won the Bib Gourmand Na distinction. On the 34th floor, at a height of 150 meters above the ground, a multifunctional event and conference centre has been created, located the highest in Poland, allowing for the organisation of events for up to 400 people, where concerts of the greatest Polish stars, theatre performances and business conferences are held. Olivia offers over 1600 parking spaces, a number of charging points for electric cars, points for storing and charging electric scooters, several hundred bicycle racks and large changing rooms with showers for cyclists in each of the 7 buildings
